{"id":3466,"date":"2012-08-26T15:57:21","date_gmt":"2012-08-26T19:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/?p=3466"},"modified":"2012-09-07T20:20:40","modified_gmt":"2012-09-08T00:20:40","slug":"new-green-lantern-headlines-justice-league-of-america-team-by-johns-finch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/new-green-lantern-headlines-justice-league-of-america-team-by-johns-finch\/","title":{"rendered":"New Green Lantern Headlines JUSTICE LEAGUE of AMERICA Team by Johns & Finch"},"content":{"rendered":"

As just announced at FanExpo Canada, DC Comics is launching a brand new version of the Justice League of America in 2013! Written by Justice League’s Geoff Johns, and pencilled by Batman: The Dark Knight<\/em>‘s David Finch, the title brings together a disparate group of heroes under the leadership of Steve Trevor to fight the Secret Society of Super Villains.<\/p>\n

MTV <\/a>had a chance to sit down and talk with Geoff Johns and David Finch about the title – which will be running side by side with Justice League – in advance of the reveal, and found out more about the line-up, how they come together, and why this might be the start of something even bigger:<\/p>\n

MTV Geek: Geoff, David, thanks for chatting… Other than David doing covers, this is the first time you two have worked together, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Geoff Johns: Yeah, I\u2019m super excited about that!<\/p>\n

David Finch: I\u2019ve been wanting to work with him for a long time.<\/p>\n

GJ: I think I met you at Toronto, it must of been seven years ago or something.<\/p>\n

DF: I remember, we were walking back from the convention.<\/p>\n

GJ: We were talking about working on something together someday, and lucky seven years later, we\u2019re doing it!<\/p>\n

Geek: So then how did this end up being the right project? Why Justice League of America?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: I think they knew we wanted to work together on something, we were talking about the book, and I think David, they approached you about doing a book like this?<\/p>\n

DF: I really wanted to work with you, so that was really the only criteria. [Laughs] When I heard about the book, I was very excited, and I\u2019ve loved everything I\u2019ve seen so far. It\u2019s just so cool.
\n
\nGeek: I\u2019m pretty excited about the roster for the team, but before we get to that, what\u2019s the idea of the book? Why do they get together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: The idea of why the JLA forms, and what it is, and what it\u2019s in reaction to… It kind of spins out of Justice League #12; what happens in that, and then subsequent issues, because JLA comes out next year some time. But the book itself is a group of heroes that aren\u2019t necessarily coming together because they want to be together… They\u2019ve been selected specifically. They all want, or need something that Steve Trevor, and the other person behind the scenes that\u2019s in charge of this team can provide.<\/p>\n

The first arc is going to deal with something they learn is called The Secret Society of Super-Villains.<\/p>\n

Geek: I\u2019m curious, how specific is the \u201cOf America\u201d part of the title?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: It\u2019s specific because its run by A.R.G.U.S. They have a team they feel they can now control. Whether or not that ends up being the case is up for debate.<\/p>\n

Geek: From your side of things, how did this team come together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: We talked about characters that were League members, like Green Arrow and Hawkman that felt like they belonged… Characters that were unexpected, like Vibe and Catwoman. Obviously, Martian Manhunter is a big piece of it, and we hinted about this team back in Justice League #8, both with Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, and Steve Trevor. And Katana was a new character. Stargirl is coming back, obviously a character that I have a huge affinity for. And then the new Green Lantern.<\/p>\n

DF: For me, it was much more important to know who the characters were in their head, and be able to talk to Geoff about where the characters are coming from, and what they\u2019re about. I know from my one experience drawing this kind of book that it makes all the difference for me when I can believe in the characters as people.<\/p>\n

Geek: Is there anything different for you about drawing a team book like this, versus a solo book like Dark Knight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

DF: Any solo book I\u2019ve ever done has been a Batman-ish kind of book. I feel I\u2019m not so much going from multiple characters from a single character, so much as something that\u2019s a little more real world, and brighter, and broad, to something that\u2019s dark, angry… Already in the first couple of pictures I\u2019ve done for this one, I feel like I\u2019m enjoying it a lot more than Batman, which is killing me! I love being able to draw a character like Batman, but it\u2019s so great to draw Stargirl, who\u2019s smiling… A range of colorful people. It\u2019s a lot more muscles to flex, I guess.<\/p>\n

GJ: The characters that are selected like Stargirl, and Vibe, and Green Arrow, they have a lot of personality. If you remember the first couple of issues of Justice League, with their larger than life personalities, and the development… This takes it to the fifteenth degree, because we\u2019re dealing with characters that are… Like, you don\u2019t know where Vibe is coming from. He\u2019s recruited to the JLA by his older brother, and he says, \u201cWhy would they want me? I\u2019m just this kid from Detroit. I\u2019ve stopped three liquor store robberies, and one was by mistake.\u201d His brother looks at him and says, \u201cMaybe they see potential in you that you and I don\u2019t see.\u201d And he\u2019s like, \u201cThanks a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

So you get these weird characters that are unexpected, and they\u2019re thrust into the forefront of Justice League of America… You\u2019ll see why they\u2019re selected, and why this team is going to give the real Justice League a run for its money; because the relationships in this team are going to be incredibly significant. There\u2019s going to be a real learning curve with all the teams, but has the benefit of a true leader in Steve Trevor. Steve Trevor has a heart and soul that\u2019s going to bring these characters that, on first glance, might not ever gel – what does Stargirl ever have in common with Catwoman? How\u2019s that going to work?<\/p>\n

Geek: It\u2019s also probably going to be tough for Steve to lead since he died in Justice League #11, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: [Laughs] Exactly.<\/p>\n

Geek: Let\u2019s talk about the characters a bit… I think I was the most excited to see Stargirl coming back, and you writing her again. What\u2019s the take on her? Is this the same Courtney Whitmore we know and love?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: Yeah, it is! She\u2019s slightly different… She is the opposite of Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes. She is this real, All-American, wholesome superhero from Hollywood that is a phenomenon out in Los Angeles. She got her start on Hollywood Boulevard, she is incredibly altruistic, and idealistic. She is probably the one hero that goes against everything that the Paris Hilton generation is. That\u2019s where she comes from, so she brings a different voice, a different perspective to the team.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s younger, probably seventeen or eighteen years old. She\u2019s very exuberant, positive, optimistic… You\u2019ll learn a little bit more about her background and why she became Stargirl, and how she\u2019s connected to another superhero named Starman… Pat Duggan will be in there. It\u2019s very true to the original origins of Stargirl, but I think she\u2019s even more relevant now. And I love that if she has an article on TMZ? It\u2019s only positive.<\/p>\n

Geek: On the other end of the spectrum, the character I was most surprised to see in there was Catwoman. How does she end up in the mix?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: Catwoman is a very different perspective, and is brought in for a very different reason. She stays because they have something that she wants… And it\u2019s not at all what you\u2019d expect. It\u2019s not a big diamond, it\u2019s not a get out of jail free card, it\u2019s something she\u2019s been searching for that\u2019s going to lead to a whole exploration of a side of Selina Kyle we haven\u2019t yet seen.<\/p>\n

But she is going to have a lot of fun on the team, she is going to be the Veronica to Stargirl\u2019s Betty, if you will, and she has a new dynamic because we haven\u2019t really seen her interact much with all these characters. Some of them not at all, like Vibe, and Stargirl… There\u2019s not a lot of interaction between her and Martian Manhunter, and I don\u2019t think she\u2019s ever interacted with Steve Trevor that I can remember. Catwoman has a very different reason for being on the team.<\/p>\n

Geek: Who\u2019s the Archie then? Is Martian Manhunter the Archie stuck in the middle of Catwoman\u2019s Veronica, and Stargirl\u2019s Betty?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: Oh no, Martian Manhunter isn\u2019t the Archie. You saw how David draws Martian Manhunter, he\u2019s as imposing as they come. If there\u2019s an Archie, it\u2019s probably Steve. And Reggie is definitely Oliver Queen.<\/p>\n

Geek: I\u2019m trying to figure out who\u2019s Jughead then.<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: That\u2019s Vibe. That\u2019s easy. [Laughs] We could do this all day, I mean, Hawkman\u2019s Moose…<\/p>\n

Geek: [Laughs] Okay, so what can you tell us about where you going to be sending these guys in the first couple of issues?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: It\u2019s funny, the book feels very much like JSA, because there\u2019s a lot of character interaction, a lot of characters that aren\u2019t necessarily the A-List, which is always really fun to work with… I love working with non A-List characters. And having David draw those, they become A-List. So if you look at David\u2019s art, and this has influenced the book tremendously, he has this great power to his figures, this very great superhero art…<\/p>\n

But if you look at The Dark Knight, he also has these fantastic emotions, and getting emotion out of the characters, really seeing these characters on a journey together; the book is going to have a tone that is JSA, the original Ostrander Suicide Squad, which was very character driven, and again utilized characters we don\u2019t necessarily see together a lot. Those are the two biggest influences on where the book is going.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s things we\u2019re going to do, like Martian Manhunter, we really want to set him up as one of the most, not just powerful, but also influential characters in the DC Universe, and you don\u2019t even know it – there\u2019s a lot to be revealed about that. So the book really has a lot of layers, and the first arc will have them tackling something that… All they know is that the word on the street is that it\u2019s called The Secret Society of Super Villains. This will be an exercise in team building, and working together, and how different personalities have to rise to that occasion.<\/p>\n

Geek: You\u2019re still going to be writing Justice League ongoing, at the same time as JLA, correct?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: Yup.<\/p>\n

Geek: So what\u2019s the coordination between those titles, and potentially Justice League Dark going to be like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: Brian Cunningham is the Editor, and he edits all of those, so all three of the books – and I talk to Jeff Lemire a ton, Jeff is a fantastic writer – but all three of those books will be set in the same universe, and things will be tying into one another. We\u2019ve got some plans for that, but I don\u2019t want to get too ahead of ourselves yet, though.<\/p>\n

One of the main goals for JLA when we launch this is to establish a cohesive team, and the relationships for that team, before we go into any big stories or crossovers, or anything like that.<\/p>\n

Geek: So I hesitate to ask this then, but with three Justice League teams, if they were to go to war, that might be some sort of… Trinity War, you might call it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GJ: It could be, but you\u2019re a little off. How\u2019s that for an answer?<\/p>\n

Geek: Pretty good, I\u2019ll take it! [Laughs] Just to start wrapping up here a bit, David, what are you looking forward to on the art end of things?<\/strong><\/p>\n

DF: I love the fact that its not every single most popular character in the company, it\u2019s characters that don\u2019t really have the same kind of exposure some of them? So it really gives us a chance to define those characters, and put our stamp on them. That\u2019s really exciting to me. The chance to take them, make them larger than life, but also we get real, and grounded, and as believable as we can make it. Everything I\u2019ve seen so far, it\u2019s going to be a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

GJ: I love characters that are more obscure. On Justice League, Shazam will be joining, and the team dynamics will be changing quite a bit on that team, but this is going to be such a great opportunity to work on characters like Katana, who I think is such a great asset, and getting deeper into characters like Vibe… Reintroducing Stargirl… Seeing the new Green Lantern with Green Arrow, and revisiting that relationship with Green Arrow and Hawkman, because we think we know it, we think they\u2019re always at odds… And we want to turn it on its head a little bit, and delve into it more, and see what makes those two characters tick, to find out there\u2019s something in common they both have despite their differences.<\/p>\n

So creating dynamics between these characters, and really making it a character driven, intense, intriguing book… One of the words I have on the outline for the series is intrigue. What I mean by that is I always want you to wonder why. Why is this happening, what is their motivation, what are they after, what do they need, what do they want? I just look forward to writing a book that harkens to some of my favorite team books, and mystery books… And hopefully its something that you won\u2019t know what to expect, and when you get it you\u2019ll think it\u2019s what it should be, but you never could have imagined it.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s a big twist in the first issue that I don\u2019t want to spoil, but it will explain exactly what\u2019s happening, and what the team is doing, and everything else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As just announced at FanExpo Canada, DC Comics is launching a brand new version of the Justice League of America in 2013! Written by Justice League’s Geoff Johns, and pencilled by Batman: The Dark Knight‘s David Finch, the title brings … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3466\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}